Nut is the ancient Egyptian sky goddess. She is the daughter of Shu and Tefnut. In Egyptian mythology, Nut swallows the sun god, Re, and rebirths him every morning to create a new day. She is held up by her father, Tefnut (the God of sunlight and air), and under her lies her husband, Geb (the God of the earth). With Geb she has five children: Osiris, Horus, Seth, Isis, and Nephthys. Her children were all born on what the Egyptians called "the five days over the year." This was during the 360th to the 365th days of the year on the Egyptian calendar. These days were won by Thoth, the God of knowledge and writing. He really liked Nut, and she was not being allowed to have children, which she really wanted. Thoth persuaded the moon to bargain with him so he could gather enough light to get five extra days of the year. Each of her children were born on these extra days. The Egyptians celebrated each of these days in honor of these Gods: Nut and her children.
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Nut is often seen in Egyptian artwork as a dark blue woman covered with the stars and the night sky. Nut can also seen as a cow whose body forms the skies and the heavens. Nut in this form represents the Great Kau (cow), otherwise known as the Great Lady. It was this cow whose udder formed the Milky Way. In this form her eyes are the sun and moon. In her usual state, her arms and legs are considered the pillars of the sky. She is seen as holding her body up in an arch, facing downwards. Nut's fingers and toes are thought to be pointed in the four cardinal directions at the horizon. At some other times, she is seen as a woman with a pot on her head. ...................................................
In this temple to Nut, the entrance will be a wide hallway held up by large decorative pillars. The pillars will show details in mythology of Nut's past and of the present. In between each pillar will be a gold star. The floor will be white and gray marble tile, and etched into the surface of the tiles will be the builders' names followed by words of worship. The hallway will be about fifteen meters long and lit by candles floating on the surface of the Nile's water in a small moat. The ceiling of the hallway will be mostly blue and covered with images of Nut. The main part of the chapel will not have a ceiling and will be very open. It will be a round room and distinguished by a short wall. The wall will be decorated with hieroglyphics, telling the stories of Nut and her family. All offerings will be made after sunset to an altar, or during midday. The altar will be an ivory statue of Nut and is dusted with silver. Nut's altar will be decorated with sapphires an diamonds to represent the sky and the stars. The floor here is made of ivory and marble slabs. All over the temple, To be permitted to enter the temple, you must clean your hands and feet in a pot. Shoes or any kind of sandals will not be permitted inside the temple in honor of the goddess. .......................................................................................................................... ................................................................................Nut, Tefnut, and Geb..............................................................................................
Sources: http://www.crystalinks.com/nut.html http://www.goddessgift.com/goddess-myths/egyptian-goddess-nut.htm http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/gods/explore/main.html http://www.egyptianmyths.net/nut.htm
By Madison Kalb
Class: A3 History
Nut is the ancient Egyptian sky goddess. She is the daughter of Shu and Tefnut. In Egyptian mythology, Nut swallows the sun god, Re, and rebirths him every morning to create a new day. She is held up by her father, Tefnut (the God of sunlight and air), and under her lies her husband, Geb (the God of the earth). With Geb she has five children: Osiris, Horus, Seth, Isis, and Nephthys. Her children were all born on what the Egyptians called "the five days over the year." This was during the 360th to the 365th days of the year on the Egyptian calendar. These days were won by Thoth, the God of knowledge and writing. He really liked Nut, and she was not being allowed to have children, which she really wanted. Thoth persuaded the moon to bargain with him so he could gather enough light to get five extra days of the year. Each of her children were born on these extra days. The Egyptians celebrated each of these days in honor of these Gods: Nut and her children.
............................................................................................................................................................................................................................
Nut is often seen in Egyptian artwork as a dark blue woman covered with the stars and the night sky. Nut can also seen as a cow whose body forms the skies and the heavens. Nut in this form represents the Great Kau (cow), otherwise known as the Great Lady. It was this cow whose udder formed the Milky Way. In this form her eyes are the sun and moon. In her usual state, her arms and legs are considered the pillars of the sky. She is seen as holding her body up in an arch, facing downwards. Nut's fingers and toes are thought to be pointed in the four cardinal directions at the horizon. At some other times, she is seen as a woman with a pot on her head.
In this temple to Nut, the entrance will be a wide hallway held up by large decorative pillars. The pillars will show details in mythology of Nut's past and of the present. In between each pillar will be a gold star. The floor will be white and gray marble tile, and etched into the surface of the tiles will be the builders' names followed by words of worship. The hallway will be about fifteen meters long and lit by candles floating on the surface of the Nile's water in a small moat. The ceiling of the hallway will be mostly blue and covered with images of Nut. The main part of the chapel will not have a ceiling and will be very open. It will be a round room and distinguished by a short wall. The wall will be decorated with hieroglyphics, telling the stories of Nut and her family. All offerings will be made after sunset to an altar, or during midday. The altar will be an ivory statue of Nut and is dusted with silver. Nut's altar will be decorated with sapphires an diamonds to represent the sky and the stars. The floor here is made of ivory and marble slabs. All over the temple, To be permitted to enter the temple, you must clean your hands and feet in a pot. Shoes or any kind of sandals will not be permitted inside the temple in honor of the goddess.
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Sources:
http://www.crystalinks.com/nut.html
http://www.goddessgift.com/goddess-myths/egyptian-goddess-nut.htm
http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/gods/explore/main.html
http://www.egyptianmyths.net/nut.htm
Picture:
http://www.fromcairo.com/images/sky_goddess_papyrus_small.jpg
http://www.danandandie.com/worldtour/uploaded_images/nut-706763.JPG